Talkin’
All That Jazz: The Changing Face of Summer Music Festivals (Part 1)

Published June 23rd 2015

Think you know jazz? Since its birth in the
early 1900s, jazz music has proven difficult to define. It’s never been a genre
with a single focus, instead encompassing and
igniting a wide range of sounds with improvisation at their core. From swing
through to hip-hop and back again, generations of musicians around the world
have inspired one another to create new forms and hybrids, further expanding
the range and reach of jazz.

It’s truly an exciting time to attend any
of the international jazz festivals that TD supports across Canada. Widely
popular and ever evolving, these festivals program an incredible range of sounds,
filling their stages with impressive Canadian and international talents who all
somehow connect under the jazz umbrella. That musical diversity is reflected in
the changing faces of ever-growing audiences.

Here, in this two-part series, we speak
with festival staff about what they see and hear.

WHAT
IS JAZZ IN 2015?

“If you asked 100 people for the definition
of the word ‘jazz,’ you'd get 100 different answers,” says Josh Grossman,
Artistic Director of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, taking place June 18 to 29. “We're
now enjoying the output of at least two generations of musicians who grew up
listening - and having easier access to - a far greater variety of music than
their predecessors. As a result, jazz has changed substantially; no longer can it
be put into just a few silos, like ‘trad,’ ‘modern,’ and ‘swing. We're hearing jazz
mixed with rock, R&B, hip-hop, contemporary classical and much more.”

“Jazz is a family with its arms wide open,”
agrees Petr Cancura, Programming Manager of the TD
Ottawa Jazz Festival (June 18 - July 1). “Right now, this music embraces all kinds of genres and styles.
What is at the heart of jazz is the intimate and adventurous improvisatory
aspect. Musicians who truly embody jazz open their heart to the audience and
take them on a journey unique to that moment.”

WHO’S
IN YOUR AUDIENCE?

“[Our] audience is made up of fans who have
lived through much of the history of jazz, as well as younger fans energized by
newer strains,” says Cancura. “On the other end of the spectrum are the adrenaline-seekers
and dancers who scour the late night stages. It’s not uncommon to see the same
faces at an intimate, avant-garde show one night tearing it up to an
indie-inspired brass band the next.”

“A festival can only grow and sustain
itself with a mix of familiar faces and new audience members,” points out
Toronto’s Grossman. “Each year we aim to program artists who are new to us, and
they tend to bring new audiences as well. Snarky Puppy is a great example: a group
which has been performing in Toronto for years and has built a loyal following,
particularly among post-secondary school music students. When we put them on a
main stage, we see a demographic that might not come out for some of the other
shows.”

PROGRAMMING
WITH A WIDE LENS

Each festival may have its own identity and
focus, but they all have their collective eye to the future.

“Presenting world-class jazz music is at
the heart of what we do,” emphasizes TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival’s
Executive Producer Paul Nolin. “That said, we also think it's important to
program broadly; from jazz in all its forms to blues, R&B, soul, hip-hop
and dance.

“In terms of jazz music, I like to keep an
eye on who is keeping the art form vibrant and exciting. This year, I have a
young artist named Otis Brown III, who just released a record on Blue Note. In
the past, I've worked with Robert Glasper, Vijay Iyer, Rudresh Mahanthappa,
Christian Scott, The Bad Plus and many more. Their youthful, adventurous
approaches, oftentimes incorporating other genres, are what keep the music
alive and vibrant.”

Similarly, Ken Pickering, Artistic Director
and co-founder of the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival
(June 18 - July 1) says that “maintaining a diverse and well balanced music
program has allowed the festival to attract new and younger audiences every
year since inception, yet still appeal to a large core constituency.

“Hipsters, hardcore jazzers, techies,
youth, culture mavens, and music fans of all stripes can find exciting music
that will resonate,” enthuses Pickering. “The festival has evolved over 30
years through an unwavering vision and commitment to jazz creativity. Today’s
festival reflects today’s creative jazz world and is in essence a summit
meeting of jazz, improvised music and hybrid forms from around the globe.”

Back in Toronto, Josh Grossman puts it
succinctly: “We book jazz, jazz-influenced, and jazz-influencing artists,”
citing main stage examples like “the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra - one of
the most important bands in the history of jazz,” and widely influential funky
soul band Tower of Power, along with an impressive range of other talents.

“We want to celebrate how jazz got to where
it is today, and where jazz is going in the future.”

“[Our] programming philosophy has been the
same for the past 32 years,” he underscores. “The core is jazz, however we
attempt to program global trends in other genres in order to attract newer
audiences.

“We incorporate all styles of jazz, as well
as blues and R&B, world music and roots music. [This year], we have South
Africa's Freshlyground, Mexico's Troker, Brazil's Eliane Elias, Israel’s Ester
Rada, and many more. Some of our headliners include Lisa Fischer and Grand
Baton, Pink Martini and Tower of Power. We also have 165 local artists
performing in both free and paid events.”

As for Ottawa, Petr Cancura gives an
excited overview.

“This year is truly a special one as we
have a celebration of European jazz, spanning groups like Paal Nilssen-Love,
one of the greatest current improvisers, to the forward-looking and virtuosic
Tin Men and The Telephone. A special project is teaming up the great Joe McPhee
from the US with our own Jesse Stewart and Montreal’s Nicolas Caloia. Our main
stage is riddled with jazz inspired marquee talent such as Chris Botti, The
Roots and Snarky Puppy, and if you are up for some dancing, every night offers
a slightly different taste of energy-filled veterans and up-and-comers, like
The Soul Rebels from New Orleans, Freshlyground from South Africa, and Reuben
and the Dark from Toronto.”

Coming
up in part 2: We learn more about factors that feed into programming decisions
and hear highlights from TD supported jazz festivals taking place deeper into
summer.